Agricultural
14 October, 2023
Flagship Grants for fish
Local councils, community groups and government agencies are invited to apply for the latest round of the Flagship Grants program worth up to $400,000 per project to see local coastal waterways flourish.
Applications, which opened this week, and have previously been used to fund rehabilitation of coastal wetlands, among other vital projects. Community organisations, local councils and natural resource managers across the state have until next month to apply for funding for their projects to improve habitat for native fish.
The Flagship Grants program builds on the existing Habitat Action Grants program and seeks to target much larger scale projects that require higher levels of funding assistance. These grants offer a rare opportunity for regional fishing clubs or organisations to significantly improve fish habitats and fishing opportunities within their local creek, river or estuary. Previous, Flagship Grants has also included funding for:
- rehabilitation of significant riparian lands/coastal wetlands (river banks, mangrove forests, saltmarsh), including addressing poor water quality from the disturbance of acid sulfate soils;
- removal or modification of barriers to fish passage including addressing floodgates, road-crossings and construction of fishways; - re-snagging of waterways with timber structures; and
- environmentally sensitive bank stabilisation works, including riparian restoration where these works are identified and part of a large-scale remediation program.
State minister for agriculture Tara Moriarty said “I am excited to support funding that enables long-term benefits to local fish habitats and recreational fisheries”. “I want to see as many submissions as possible.
“The Flagship Grants are supported with funds from the NSW Recreational Fishing Trusts and are a great example of how recreational fishing licence fee funds are reinvested to improve recreational fishing.
“Ultimately, these Flagship Grants are about making sure we have functional fish habitats and happy native fish here in NSW.
For more information and to apply for this round of funding, visit the NSW department of primary industries website.
